376 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



reached the opposite shore a beautiful panor- 

 ama opened to our view — orange - trees, and 

 long rows of gayly painted new hives, under 

 sheds. These sheds had roofs inclining in op- 

 posite directions, supported by stout posts. The 

 hives were placed in rows facing outward, and 

 there was plenty of room in the shade, between 

 the backs of the hives, out of the bees' flight, to 

 perform the woi'k in the hives. A very pretty 

 star, in variegated colors, adorned the portico 

 of each hive, which presented a pretty effect. 

 As the star guided tlie wise men to the Babe of 

 Bethlehem, so this apiary should be the guiding 

 star to apiarists in the way of neatness and 

 beauty. Every thine was in holiday garb, as if 

 in readiness for the Columbian Fair. 



As the sun was setting we entered the boat and 

 bade adieu to the manager and his two interest- 

 ing little boys by his side. Mr. Alderman re- 

 mained to go the village by another route, to 

 attend prayer-meeting at the Methodist church, 

 of which he is a devoted member, consigning 

 me to the care of his faithful colored man, who 

 had been with him for nearly a score of years, 

 and to whom he had intrusted his own family 

 in numerous instances. During a drouth, when 

 the waters were low, obstructions had been re- 

 moved, a roadway cut. and guide-boards nailed 

 to the trees, and pieces of burlap tied to the 

 branches, to keep travelers from getting lost in 

 the dense swamp. In the gloaming, with no 

 sound but the dipping of the oars, the faithful 

 oarsman avoided every obstruction, and eager- 

 ly scanned fortho?e bits of board and of burlap, 

 which were so valuable to us in this our time of 

 need: for without them we might have lost our 

 way, and been compelled to pass the night in 

 the swamp. We reached the shore in safety, 

 and soon entered the hospitable home of the 

 Aldermans. More anon. Mrs. L. Harhison. 



Peoria, III., April 25. 



WAX FLOWERS. 



MBS. AXTEIX TE:I.I.S HOW TO MAKE THEM; 

 CONCLUDED FROM MARCH 1. 



Peach, apple, or crabapple blossoms are made 

 by putting a small heading on a wire looped 

 down at one end, of a little fringed yellow or 

 white wax, or a bit of pink or white ribbon 

 fringed, and the petals like those of the center 

 of the fuchsia: or, get a blossom and cut the 

 pattern from them, i-nbbing a very little red 

 paint underneath each petal to give the tint of 

 the natural flower. Pear or plum blossoms are 

 made almost the same, only white. A cluster 

 of white pear- blossoms is very pretty in a 

 wreath. Cherry-blossoms are so small they are 

 tedious to make. Cherry, blackberry, straw- 

 berry, and raspberry blossoms may be cut out 

 with the phlox-cutter. For lilac, use a lilac- 

 cutter, and white or purple wax. 



Phlox are made by cutting out the petals 

 with a phlox-cutter: also verbenas with a ver- 

 bena-cutter. Stick a pin through the center of 

 the flower, and draw a pink stamen through: 

 then put a speck of wax under the flower and 

 stick it to the stamen to keep it from slipping 

 down. Make several of these, stick them all 

 together on a stem, adding green leaves. Tint 

 the phlox if you like, by rubbing a little of the 

 carmine on the under side of each flower. 



Snowballs are made by putting many of these 

 white phlox together with plenty of green 

 leaves. Lilies and long-petaled flowers are 

 more apt to droop and get out of shape. If they 

 are made, use double wax, or the thick wax 

 used in making pond-lilies. 



For pond-lily, use the double, or pond-lily 

 wax. The center is formed on a stiff wire, of 



green or brown wax, about as large as a small 

 peanut. Pinch it smooth and round; then, with 

 the sharp-pointed molder, press the sides into 

 ridges. Take two strips of yellow or orange 

 wax, an inch and a half wide, if for a western 

 pond-lily; if for a New England lily, three- 

 fourths of an inch wide is sufficient (as the 

 western pond-lily is more than as large again 

 as the eastern). Cut one strip in coarse fringe, 

 and the other in fine fringe. Lay the fringe on 

 the palm of the hand. Take the dull molder 

 and stroke each thread of the fringe, which will 

 curl it up like center leaves. Put the fine leaves 

 on first, then the coarse fringe, letting it all curl 

 toward the center. Stick on 30 or 40 pond-lily 

 petals, hollowed a little so as to curl slightly 

 toward the center, graded in size and length 

 from small to twice as large. Lay a small fold 

 on the point where joined to the stem, to make 

 the petal stronger. 



The sepal, or covering of the flower, is made 

 very broad and rounding, three in number, and 

 is thrown nearly back upon the stem, made of 

 dark green wax lined with white wax with a 

 very thin cloth between, pressed firmly togeth- 

 er, made very hollowing with a large molder (a 

 round door-knob will do for a molder). Trim 

 neatly, and press on tightly. This supports the 

 long petals. Add large green leaves of several 

 sizes, or trim the large ones so some will be 

 smallei', if but one leaf-mold is used; also make 

 some buds of white wax, with calyx just open- 

 ing. As this is a large flower, place it at the 

 bottom of the wreath, or put it above in a pond- 

 lily vase, which should have a mirror in the 

 bottom, to look as if the lily were standing in 

 water. If used above, rub upon each petal 

 plenty of arrow-root, except at the base of the 

 petal, which gives it a velvety look. Some of 

 the center petals may have the least shade of 

 pink color mixed with the arrow-root. Do not 

 get too much color, as a pond-lily should be 

 nearly white or yellow. 



Patterns from these are easily cut from paint- 

 ings, where the natural lily can not be procured; 

 they are also often seen in the artificial flowers. 

 After one has made a few flowers it will be easy 

 to make almost any flower by having the nat- 

 ural flower to model after: but as some flowers 

 are much easier made, and retain their shape 

 better. I use mostly those with short petals, as 

 they do not droop out of shape as do long-petal- 

 ed flowers. 



The box for the back of the frame for flowers 

 should be three inches deep, and the flowers 

 should be tacked in so as to stand out distinct 

 from each other, nearly touching the glass. 

 Line the box with white printing-paper. Let 

 the green leaves come between the flowers and 

 the paper for a contrast, especially the light 

 flowers. Tack the flowei's to the back of the 

 box before fast(Miing it to the glass front. Use 

 broad-headed tacks and a small hammer, and 

 a nail-set. Ix'ginning at the top with the small 

 flowers and small leaves, and work around as 

 in a wreath, but do not let the wreath quite 

 touch in the center at the top. 



The first flowers I generally use are fuchsias 

 drooping down from the center; then phlox, 

 verbenas, and other small flowers and leaves; 

 at the sides come in groups of roses, and apple 

 and peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, etc., 

 while at the bottom are the heavy flowers, such 

 as snowballs, dahlias, etc. 



In arranging the flowers in a wreath, be sure 

 to use as many red flowers in one side as you 

 do on the other, or as many white or pink in 

 one side as the other, and each side about as 

 many and as lieavy flowers as we used in the 

 other, to look symmetrical. 



A white cross arranged for the center of a 

 wreath is beautiful. My wreath has in its cen- 



